Importation of galunggong in September not the first time, BFAR clarifies

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Wednesday clarified that the plan to import galunggong (round scad) next month is not the first time the government will do so.

"This is not the first time that the Philippines [has] imported galunggong from other countries," the BFAR of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in an emailed statement.

"The country has been, in fact, importing fresh/chilled/frozen fish and fishery/aquatic products including galunggong only for canning and processing purposed including importation undertaken by institutional buyers like hotels and restaurants as allowed by the law since years ago," it added.

The statement comes after several reports circulated online claiming that the government will import round scad for the first time.

The government earlier said the imports will be an additional supply given the decrease in the production of round scad in the country.

"During a consultation with major Philippine fisheries' stakeholders, recent studies and statistical data revealed a consistent decrease in the production of galunggong in Philippines waters, which resulted in the need to import around 17,000 metric tons of the said fish commodity," it said.

The importation is scheduled to start on September 1, 2018, and shall be in effect for 90 days.

According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the output of round scad fell by 9.56 percent in the first semester of the year, bringing the total fisheries output down by 2.14 percent in the same period.

"In the interest of the Filipino consumers and efforts to stabilize market prices and provide stable and affordable fisheries commodities, the government, through the [DA] and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources [BFAR] will allow the importation of fresh/chilled/frozen galunggong (round scad) for the purpose of augmenting the local supply in the fresh markets," the BFAR said. — RSJ, GMA News